We spoke at the Fundamental Rights Conference for a comprehensive EU hate crime law

On November 12-13 Social Platform participated in the Fundamental Rights Agency's annual conference, this year on the topic 'Combating hate crime in the EU – Giving victims a face and a voice'. Our Director Pierre Baussand spoke in a panel on ‘Effectively responding to hate crime: From legislation to practice’. Read Mr Baussand's full intervention here (check against delivery)

Mr. Baussand provided the following key arguments for 'why we need a broader legislation than the council framework decision 2008/913/JHA of 28 November 2008 on combating certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal laws.' This is one of Social Platform's key recommendations in our position paper 'Towards EU actions against all forms of bias violence' (Sep 25, 2012).

  • Legislation ‘has a symbolic value that states what is not acceptable in our society. It demonstrates society’s rejection of crimes based on hate. Then, crime motivated on any ground listed in the victim package is not acceptable. In fact crime motivated by any ground is acceptable in our society.’
  • ‘If the victims is recognised, the crime should be recognised, be made visible. Therefore characteristics reflected in the victims’ directive should be reflected in the hate crime legislation.’
  • ‘We need to guarantee the safety of those seeking greater equality in our society. The EU has to act with responsibility. We have adopted and promoted several anti-discrimination laws on gender equality and in 2000 on race, disability, religion and belief, sexual orientation, and age. These laws were meant to bring changes in our societies.’
  • ‘What we are asking for is not a dream – it already exists in some EU member states’

 

Read related statements:

 

2013-11-15